Leadership vs Management

‘Leadership’ and ‘Management’ are terms that are often used interchangeably in an organisation. While in a lot of ways the two concepts do overlap, the difference between leadership and management is quite simple; leaders lead people, managers manage tasks.

In this sense, a manager can be anyone who is good at allocating administrative tasks, efficiently distributing resources and ensuring that a day-to-day office runs smoothly. This is by no means an easy task, and requires a high level of time management, organisation and communication skills.

Leadership however, is a more holistic approach and focuses on intangible concepts, such as motivation, inspiration and guidance. In order to be a leader that is respected and followed by their team, a good leader should provide all of the above mentioned support a manager does, and ensure that their team is comfortable, happy, motivated and feel supported in their work environment as well.

Everyone will have their own subjective opinion of what makes a good leader. For some, it may be someone who inspires them to do their best at work. For others, it could be someone who promotes a sense of unity within the team and ensures everyone can work happily together. But there are certain traits that most people can agree on when defining what makes a successful leader;

⇒ Having the ability to recognise when they’re wrong/have made a mistake

⇒ See themselves as part of a team, instead of solely being in charge of it

⇒ Being open to ideas/contributions from every member of the team

⇒ Caring

⇒ Possess the ability to inspire

⇒ Humble

⇒ Driven

⇒ Having a backbone without being too tough …the list goes on.

Being an effective leader means not only creating a positive and motivational workplace in the present, it involves sustaining this culture and inspiring future leaders to retain such an environment.

As a team leader, learning how to drive a team to reach this point is a huge task. Where does one start?! That’s where we come in! On February 27th/28th, we will be running a 2-day public Team Leader workshop in Auckland to help you achieve just this. Due to the popularity of this course, we’re also running one in Hamilton on March 6th/7th. Hurrah!

This popular course will give you the methodologies to lead, inspire, and address behaviour and workplace culture with confidence, respect and approachability. It will make clear how to establish an effective, positive workplace – including how to recognize and eliminate negative workplace culture traits or qualities.

If your aim is to build a happy and motivated team and be a legendary leader instead of a mediocre manager, get in touch with us at Rapid Results to book your place on this great workshop! Contact Anna: anna@rapidresults.co.nz